scholarly journals Character strengths in Spanish music students: An exploratory study / Fortaleses de caràcter en els estudiants de música espanyols: un estudi exploratori

Author(s):  
Diego Calderón-Garrido ◽  
Josep Gustems-Carnicer ◽  
Caterina Calderon ◽  
Carolina Martín-Piñol

Summary. The factors in the choice of musical instruments and how it influences and modifies the personality of the musicians are a common theme in research. However, less attention has been given to the formative effect of music on the character of music students, whose long-term commitment to acquiring professional competences as performers, teachers, conductors or composers can be examined using the research on Positive Psychology, which is mainly concerned with furthering people’s psychological wellbeing. This paper profiles the virtues and character strengths of a sample of eighty Spanish students completing bachelor’s degrees in music during the academic year 2016-2017, using the VIA Inventory of Strengths –free version (VIA-IS) (Peterson & Seligman, 2004) to analyse the respondents’ key strengths. The survey showed high scores in judgment and lower scores in self-regulation. The results were contrasted with samples of students in bachelor’s degrees in the social sciences.Resum. Els factors que contribueixen a l’elecció dels instruments musicals i la seva influència i modificació en la personalitat dels músics són un tema comú en la recerca. Tanmateix, s’ha posat menys atenció a en aspectes com l’efecte formatiu de la música en el caràcter dels estudiants de música; el compromís d’aquestes persones amb l’adquisició de competències professionals a llarg termina com a intèrprets, professors, directors o compositors pot ser examinat aplicant la Psicologia Positiva, que s’ocupa principalment del benestar psicològic de les persones. Aquest article estudia les virtuts i les fortaleses del caràcter d’una mostra de vuitanta estudiants espanyols cursant el grau en música durant el curs 2016-2017 amb el VIA Inventory of Strengths – versió lliure (VIA-IS; Peterson & Seligman, 2004) per analitzar les fortaleses clau dels enquestats. Els resultats van mostrar puntuacions altes en judici i menors en auto-regulació. Els resultats es contrasten amb mostres d’estudiants de grau en ciències socials.

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 248-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Kontowski ◽  
Madelaine Leitsberger

European universities responded in different ways to the ‘refugee crisis’ of 2015. Some subscribed to the agenda of higher education (HE) as a universal human right, while others stressed different long-term benefits of offering access to it. Yet, the unprecedented sense of moral urgency that guided immediate declarations of support and subsequent actions has largely remained unaddressed. With the crisis becoming a new reality for many countries, HE has a role to play in the social inclusion of refugees, even in countries that were not attractive destinations for refugees in the past. In this article, we provide an overview of the reasons why HE institutions supported refugees, and present the results of an empirical study of Poland and Austria during the 2015–2016 academic year. We then evaluate those first responses utilizing parts of Ager and Strang’s framework of integration, and discuss issues of institutional readiness, capabilities and the public role of HE stemming from this comparison. Our findings suggest that reasons such as acknowledgement of basic rights, or utilizing social capital are insufficient to explain and understand strong integrative support measures. We propose that refugee support by HE institutions is both better understood and promoted through the language of hospitality.


Author(s):  
Tommy Hendriks ◽  
Joshua Pritikin ◽  
Rajeev Choudhary ◽  
Chad Danyluck

AbstractA growing body of research has associated the practice of meditation with the development of character strengths. Sahaja Yoga (SY) is a spiritual practice designed to help people develop a set of character strengths. The primary goal of the current work is to determine whether practitioners of SY meditation endorse signature strengths. Using the VIA Inventory of Strengths 120, we conducted a survey to measure the character strengths among 310 daily practitioners of SY meditation and compared them to a matched sample from the database of the VIA Institute on Character. Practitioners of SY meditation endorsed seven signature strengths, relative to non- meditators: spirituality, forgiveness, gratitude, self-regulation, teamwork, appreciation of beauty, and hope. Findings suggest that the practice of SY meditation may be related to a unique and broad set of character strengths. The findings pave the way for research identifying signature strength development in other group contexts.


2020 ◽  
pp. 030573562096862
Author(s):  
Santos Orejudo ◽  
Carlos Candela ◽  
Oscar Casanova ◽  
Luis Manuel Cuartero

Social support is one of the variables that exert the greatest influence on the motivation of music students, as well as on emotional aspects that affect their results. Research, however, is limited by the current scarcity of evaluation tools. This article thus presents the process of adaptation into Spanish of the Social Support Scale. We report on the elaboration of the questionnaire’s exact wording through direct and reverse translation. We subsequently present analysis of internal reliability and validity based on a sample of 668 music students in music schools and university-level music academies, aged 12–60 (mean 16.9). The study is complemented by an analysis of factorial invariance comparing secondary education and university. The results reproduce the social support factors stemming from parents and teachers; peer support is subdivided into two subcategories. Discrepancies with the original version are not so much due to the adaptation process, but can be attributed, for the most part, to differences between the sample compositions. Our results indicate that Spanish music students perceive a considerable amount of social support for their music learning activities; differences stand out, however, in terms of age, gender, and educational level.


Author(s):  
Margaret L. Kern ◽  
Michael L. Wehmeyer

AbstractThe chapters in this Handbook provide evidence of the plurality of theories, models, methods, and perspectives relevant to positive education. Chapters highlight the diverse ways in which positive education is conceptualized and implemented, complexities inherent to school environments, and the need to rigorously study the impact of activities. Chapters describe core ingredients of positive education, including basic psychological needs, mindset, character strengths, coping skills, empathy, engagement, gratitude, social relationships, emotions, kindness, meaning and purpose, mindfulness, self-efficacy, self-regulation, and wellbeing literacy. These ingredients primarily emphasize the skills and attributes of the person. Yet other chapters remind us of the importance of the social and environmental context, including the impact that trauma, disadvantage, culture, socioeconomic pressures, and broader systemic pressures have. Together, the chapters speak to both the possibilities and challenges of what positive education might become.


2007 ◽  
pp. 27-45
Author(s):  
B. Titov ◽  
I. Pilipenko ◽  
A. Danilov-Danilyan

The report considers how the state economic policy contributes to the national economic development in the midterm perspective. It analyzes main current economic problems of the Russian economy, i.e. low effectiveness of the social system, high dependence on export industries and natural resources, high monopolization and underdeveloped free market, as well as barriers that hinder non-recourse-based business development including high tax burden, skilled labor deficit and lack of investment capital. We propose a social-oriented market economy as the Russian economic model to achieve a sustainable economic growth in the long-term perspective. This model is based on people’s prosperity and therefore expanding domestic demand that stimulates the growth of domestic non-resource-based sector which in turn can accelerate annual GDP growth rates to 10-12%. To realize this model "Delovaya Rossiya" proposes a program that consists of a number of directions and key groups of measures covering priority national projects, tax, fiscal, monetary, innovative-industrial, trade and social policies.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 197
Author(s):  
Rosita L. Tobing

The problem of classroom action research is the low learning outcomes of VC grade 164 students in Pekanbaru. This study aims to improve social studies learning outcomes of VC grade 164 students in Pekanbaru by applying the cooperative method of numbered heads together (NHT). The results of the research and class actions of the Social Studies Course conducted at the VC class SDN 164 Pekanbaru students concluded; Learning outcomes in the first cycle have increased compared to conventional learning. Pre-cycle learning outcomes are an average of 50.25 or sufficient categories; in cycle I, learning outcomes reached an average of 71.75 or in the Good category; in cycle II it increased again by 80.25 or in the Good category; Prasiklus classical completeness is 10 students (25.00%.); the first cycle is 27 students (67.50%); and in the second cycle were 38 students (95.00%). Students who have not been completed are remedial. Observers observed that VC grade 164 students at Pekanbaru Pekanbaru seemed to understand the Numbered Heads Together (NHT) Cooperative Method. They learn and understand shared material in heterogeneous groups of 4-5 students. Based on the results of improved learning studies, the application of the cooperative method of numbered heads together (NHT) succeeded in correcting the problem of the low social studies learning outcomes in VC Class SDN 164 Pekanbaru 2017/2018 Academic Year.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 110
Author(s):  
Hava Rexhep

The aging is not only a personal but also a social challenge from several aspects, several dimensions; a challenge aiming to build system approaches and solutions with a long term importance. Aims: the main aim of this research is to investigate the conditions and challenges in the modern living of the old people, primarily in terms of the social care. However, this research is concentrated on a big group of the population and their challenges are the most intensive in the modern living. The investigation of the conditions and challenges in the aging are basis and encouragement in realizing the progressive approaches in order to improve the modern living of the old people. The practical aim of the research is a deep investigation and finding important data, analyzing the basic indicators of the conditions, needs and challenges in order to facilitate the old population to get ready for the new life. Methods and techniques: Taking into consideration the complexity of the research problem, the basic methodological approach is performed dominantly by descriptive-analytical method. The basic instrument for getting data in the research is the questionnaire with leading interview for the old people. Results: The research showed that the old people over 70-79 years old in a bigger percentage manifested difficulties primarily related to the functional dependency, respectively 39,33 % of the participants in this category showed concern about some specific functional dependency from the offered categories. The percentage of the stomach diseases with 38,33 % is important, as well as the kidney diseases with 32,83% related to the total population and the category of the old people over 80. Conclusion: The old people very often accept the life as it is, often finding things fulfilled with tolerance and satisfaction. However the health problems of the old people are characterized with a dominant representation. The chronic diseases and the diseases characteristic for the aging are challenge in organizing adequate protection which addresses to taking appropriate regulations, programs and activities.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony D Mancini

In this commentary, I argue that the mental health impact of COVID-19 will show substantial variation across individuals, contexts, and time. Further, one key contributor to this variation will be the proximal and long-term impact of COVID-19 on the social environment. In addition to the mental health costs of the pandemic, it is likely that a subset of people will experience improved social and mental health functioning.


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